This invention relates generally to lifting devices and, more particularly, to an automobile jack or jack system that includes a low-profile ramp coupled to a housing having a jack linkage therein and that enables a tire of an automobile to drive onto a tire receiving surface atop the housing without damaging a low-profile spoiler or automobile trim piece and to be raised when the jack is actuated.
Changing the oil of an automobile typically involves driving the car up a ramp onto a lifting assembly. For instance, traditional automotive shops as well as amateurs may require the automobile to drive up steep ramps until the car is suspended sufficiently above a ground surface to enable a mechanic (whether professional or the vehicle owner) to slide under the vehicle and conduct the oil change or otherwise work on a repair. Unfortunately, driving a low-profile automobile or one having a spoiler or low-hanging trim piece results in the spoiler becoming bent or otherwise damaged when it encounters the ramp or ground.
Another problem with traditional jacks for lifting an automobile is that they require positioning a linkage under a frame of the automobile and then actuating the jack to lift the vehicle. Unfortunately, traditional jacks—such as those carried in the trunk of an automobile—are unstable, are positioned adjacent to a tire of the automobile, and do not enable lifting the automobile evenly side-to-side. Although traditional jacks may be suitable for changing a flat tire should the driver find himself in such a situation while driving, they are not suitable for changing the oil in the automobile—where an unstable and inconvenient lifting the automobile could prove fatal to the vehicle owner lying under the automobile.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a jack system for an automobile that allows an automobile to be driven onto the jack without damaging the automobile's spoiler or low-hanging components and from which point the automobile may be raised above the ground in a safe, secure, and stable manner. Further, it would be desirable to have a jack system in which a low-rise ramp is coupled to the jack housing and in which the tire receiving surface of the housing is literally raised as a jack linkage is actuated. In addition, it would be desirable to have a jack system in which multiple automobile jacks may be ganged together whereby to lift the entire front end or rear end of the automobile when just one automobile jack is actuated.